[The Hindu] Attukal Pongala goes global with devotees observing the ritual in the US and the UK

The Attukal Pongala festival, a significant event in Kerala, India, has gained international recognition with Malayali devotees observing the ritual in the US and the UK. The festival involves women congregating to worship the Mother Goddess by cooking Pongala, a rice dish cooked with jaggery and ghee, garnished with cashew nuts and raisins. This ritual has entered the Guinness Book of World Records for being the largest religious gathering of women on a single day.

Non-resident Keralites who were unable to travel to Kerala for the festival began observing it in their kitchens abroad¹. In the UK, the ritual was organized at the London Sree Murugan Temple, where Pongala is cooked in a giant pot with 10 kilograms of rice. Despite the law not permitting open fires, the devotees have found ways to observe the ritual, and the event has grown bigger every year.

In the US, the ritual is observed at the Hindu Society of Central Florida. Even harsh weather conditions like snow and freezing winds have not deterred the devotees from attending the festival.

Source: Conversation with Bing
Attukal Pongala goes international with Malayali devotees from Kerala ….
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